Many plugs and other devices for converting pool tables into tables having a continuous rail, such as billiard tables and crap tables are known in the art. Examples can be seen in U.S. Pat Nos. 241,943 and 292,547 to DOCKSTADER; U.S. Pat. No. 328,092 to WAGGONER; U.S. Pat. No. 767,309 to McGEE; U.S. Pat. No. 980,142 to BYNER; U.S. Pat. No. 1,894,989 to HANSEN and U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,949 to LEE. Most of the prior art devices cannot be slipped in and out simply but instead require relatively complex manipulation of some sort of holding mechanism. The installation of some of the plugs disclosed in the prior art require a hole or holes be drilled in the existing table at each pocket for receiving a rod which extends sidewardly from the plug.
To convert a pool table into a billiard table or a crap table, it is necessary to extend the rails thereof across the pockets. For billiards it is necessary to entirely plug the pockets so that a continuous ball engaging cushion exists around the perimeter of the table. When the rail is extended it is important that the rail portions filling the pockets have similar properties and characteristics as the permanent rail, since otherwise balls impacting thereon will act in a manner inconsistent with what is normally expected from the table. To produce the similar properties, the plug or insert containing the rail must be rigidly supported and maintain the rail in longitudinal and lateral alignment with other rail portions.